“We don’t work here anymore, but can we still release this?” – Redfall’s Final Update

Some stories from the gaming industry can make your stomach churn while also warming your heart a little. This is one of them. Harvey Smith, then Studio Director at Arkane Austin, and Head of Production Ben Horne, have shared how Redfall’s final major update came to be – after Microsoft had already closed their studio.

What happened after Arkane Austin was closed?

A quick recap: In May 2024, as part of a series of Bethesda studio closures, Microsoft shut down several teams, including Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks. For Redfall, this effectively spelled the end – save for one detail: Update 1.4 was already in the pipeline, largely complete but unreleased.

Smith then approached Microsoft. The quote he attributes to himself perfectly encapsulates the situation: “I know we don’t work here anymore, but can we please release this anyway?” Microsoft agreed. Six or seven team members signed forms to be granted access to the building once more, and they finalized the patch.

What was in Redfall’s final update?

It was precisely the update the community had been waiting for since launch:

• Offline Mode – by far the most requested feature, as Redfall initially required a persistent online connection even for single-player
• A single-player pause function, which was conspicuously absent before
• A new weapon and several overhauled systems
• DLSS 3 support on PC

Smith retrospectively describes 1.4 as a “huge upgrade” and makes a statement that resonates with a bitter undertone: Had they launched with this version and built from there, the game’s story might have unfolded differently. He doesn't solely blame Microsoft for this, admitting, “We got swept up in this games-as-a-service thing.”

Why is this coming up again now?

Because the two are back. Smith and Horne have broken their silence after two years and introduced a new studio: Black Pony Immersive. This independent studio, boasting 26 members, was already founded in August 2025 and has been quietly assembled since then. At its core, it’s the old Austin team, reunited around a single project. The Redfall statements stem from the interview rounds surrounding this unveiling; Smith had previously shared parts of these quotes on Simon Parkin’s podcast, “My Perfect Console.”

From our perspective, that’s the true takeaway: A team that had to bear the brunt of one of the toughest failures in recent Xbox history didn’t disband but has reassembled. Since Dishonored and Prey, Arkane has been synonymous with a very specific type of Immersive Sim – games that empower players to come up with their own solutions. Redfall was precisely *not* that, and anyone who’s read reports from its development knows the team struggled with this from the outset. The fact that these same individuals are now continuing independently and free from live-service mandates is arguably the best news to emerge from this entire saga.

Source: VGC, PC Gamer, Gamereactor, Wccftech

Would you have given Redfall a second chance if it had launched like this? Discuss with us in the comments!